PAYING IN BLOOD

05.27.14

Dozens Dead in Donetsk Airport Clash

Viktor Drachev/AFP/Getty

Ukraine has reclaimed the international airport in the eastern city of Donetsk and exacted a bloody price from pro-Russian separatists for seizing it. Militants stormed Sergei Prokofiev Donetsk Airport early Monday, and Ukraine launched airstrikes in response. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s interior ministry announced that the airport was back under its control. Separatists reported at least 30 casualties on their side. Kiev reported no military deaths. The mayor of Donestk appeared on local TV claiming at least 40 people in total died. The bloody clash follows the presidential election of Petro Poroshenko, who vowed he would deal with “terrorists” in eastern Ukraine “within hours, not months.”